Pinecrest's popular Sunday farmers market could get a formal new management structure after the Village Council votes Tuesday, July 14, on a resolution to authorize negotiations with Miami Culinary Kitchen for a management agreement.

The resolution, listed as Tab 2 on the council's agenda, would allow Village Manager Yocelyn Galiano to negotiate terms with Miami Culinary Kitchen to manage and operate the Pinecrest Farmers Market at Pinecrest Gardens, 11000 Red Road. The vote does not award a final contract. It green-lights negotiations that would lead to a separate contract award.

Miami Culinary Kitchen already appears to run the market's day-to-day operations. The Pinecrest Gardens website lists MCK's contact information for market inquiries, and the company's Instagram account (@mckatpinecrestfarmersmarket) identifies itself as "Market Managers of the Pinecrest Farmers Market." The account has roughly 14,000 followers. Whether MCK has been operating under an informal or expired arrangement is unclear from public records.

The village issued a formal solicitation (Demandstar #2026-006) on Wednesday, May 21, seeking proposals for management and operation of the Sunday market. Responses were due Wednesday, June 18. The scope described a market with approximately 80 vendors each Sunday.

That vendor count marks significant growth. The market launched at Pinecrest Gardens in 2009 after its former host supermarket closed. It started with about 20 vendors. In a 2020 interview with the Palmetto Panther, then-Pinecrest Gardens Director Alana Perez referenced earlier management struggles.

"We had some issues with the previous management company, but since then the new company has been very successful," Perez said.

The market runs every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the tree-lined parking lot of Pinecrest Gardens. Vendors sell local produce from Homestead and Redland farms, artisan foods, flowers, and specialty items including local honey and handmade crafts.

The council meets at 4 p.m. at the Pinecrest Municipal Center, 12645 Pinecrest Parkway, third floor. Residents can attend in person, join via Zoom, or submit comments by email at [email protected]. The Zoom registration deadline is noon Tuesday, July 14, before the meeting begins.

Financial terms of the proposed agreement, including fees, revenue share, and contract length, have not been made public. The next scheduled council meeting after July 14 is a budget workshop on Wednesday, August 26, at 9 a.m. at Pinecrest Gardens.